“I was just trying to hit it as hard as I could at the goal and on target, and that's what happened,” Fucheck said. “You just have to hit it on target and anything could happen.”

With this game having been postponed multiple times due to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Newburgh coach Matt Iorlano decided to alter his lineup.

Starting goalkeeper James Demshick spent the first half playing offense, helping to create a number of chances for the Goldbacks. After 40 minutes, and with a one-goal lead, Iorlano put Demshick back in net.

Pat Ortland made two first-half saves for Newburgh. Demshick made one stop in the second half.

“We had some position changes over those couple of days and I'm really impressed by those changes,” said senior center back Nick Catania. “I think they added a good amount of attack and speed.”

Minisink Valley (6-9-1) received eight saves from Lotus, who had plenty of work in the second half.

“I had to keep the team in the game,” said Lotus, a senior. “It would have been nice if we could have put one in the back of the net, but you have to be there for your team. If they have shots, you have to block them. You have to be there.”

Newburgh (11-4-2) will play at No. 2 Monroe-Woodbury (12-3-1) in the semifinals at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Monroe-Woodbury has won the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I title three straight years, but Newburgh has won four straight Section 9 Class AA championships. In recent years, it has practically become inevitable that the division rivals meet for a third time in a postseason game.

“The last five games have been 1-0, so that's what you can probably expect,” Iorlano said.

Newburgh players are not surprised they will be playing Monroe-Woodbury again. In fact, they're excited for another shot at the Crusaders after splitting the regular-season series.

“I think it's fun,” Fucheck said. “We always try to live up to our name and play good soccer and get the win. That's what we're going for, a section championship right now.”

“That's what this section tournament is about,” Catania said, “to bring out the real talent and see what they're made of. I love doing it. There's nothing I love more than these tournaments, literally.”

Minisink Valley dealt with a number of injuries to key players during the regular season. The Warriors, however, did beat OCIAA Division II rival Warwick for the first time in six years.

Following the disappointing loss, Lotus said his teammates had no reason to hang their heads.

“Playing all these teams in tough games, we didn't really have any bad games this year,” Lotus said. “It was a good year.”